Think of practical need buying submarines

Think of practical need buying submarines

Sin Chew Daily, Asia News Network, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia signed a contract with French warship builder, DCN
International and Spanish shipmaker, Izar, to acquire two
Scorpene submarines at a cost of more than RM3.1 billion for the
Royal Malaysian Navy. It is nevertheless the biggest defense
purchase exercise carried by the Defense Ministry despite nearly
half of the cost would be in the form of counter trade of palm
oil under a counter purchase and offset arrangement.

Just a month ago, the government announced a RM2.1 billion
bill for Malaysian defense purchase at Defense Services Asia 2002
Exhibition (DSA 2002) held in Kuala Lumpur from April 8 to 11.
Fighter planes, vessels, missiles, armored vehicle, ammunition
and artillery were on the military shopping list.

The procurement of Scorpene submarines, together with other
that are still under negotiation, including heavy duty PT91 tanks
from Poland, Sokhai warplanes from Russia, and FA18 fighter
planes from the United States, it could not be said that the
sudden upshot of defense spending would not add pressure to the
public coffer.

Malaysian economy had witnessed the first bud of its recovery,
but there is still a long way to go for full recovery.
Utilization of national resources should be prudent at this stage
as we sill have the burden of foreign debts. Priority and
consideration for limited resources should be channeled to
building of life quality of the people, enhancement of human
resources, social hardware and other areas which directly
affecting life quality of the people.

Defense spending should be restricted to the practical need of
the nation, and reduced gradually. Asia and the Pacific are
relatively peaceful and free of Cold War and Communist threat. No
visible aggressive neighbor has emerged. The differences among
the member countries of Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN)
were still within the confinement of peaceful co-existence: It
would not lead to war. The super powers beyond ASEAN -- including
China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. -- stressed peace: They would
not pose a danger to Malaysian security.

No doubt we should be complacent, but the only visible threat
come from terrorism and illegal immigrants, which could be dealt
with by overall preventive measures. The job could be done by
conventional arsenal and intensified patrol; there would be no
place for the expensive and high-tech submarines, fighter planes
or tanks.

There must be certain reason that the government embarked on
modernization program for our defense makeup. But modernization
program is a on going business: it never stops. It might be
better off if arsenal would be gradually phased out than making a
huge purchase at one goes.

Speaking at the 16th Asia-Pacific Roundtable meeting in Kuala
Lumpur on June 3, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi said military enhancement by major powers in the Asia
Pacific region would not solve all problems or yield the security
they seek. He stressed that overwhelming military power would not
deter or protect against terror but instead it merely aggravates
suspicion and tensions between countries.

The Deputy Prime Minister had hit the nail on the head by what
he said: It underscored our security need. Enhancement of
dialogue between countries, promotion of mutual understanding,
closer cooperation should be the avenues to be adopted by nations
in the modern world when dealing with each other. Arm race
aggravates suspicion and tensions between countries and quicken
the steps of real war.

All in all, we do not need lavishly purchase of enormous
amount of military hardware. The government should consider
prudently the purchase of two submarines costing more than RM 3
billion properly might not be practical viewed from national
economic and security need.